Not in my yard, please: Pretty plants we don’t want

In Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, where Brazilian peppertrees, Schinus terebinthifolia, are native, raccoons and opossums help disperse seeds and proliferate the plant. Fruit-eating birds attracted to the bright red berries further help continue the species, and all is right with their world.

That same plant in Texas, although it, too, feeds birds and certain mammals, is a threat to our native biodiversity, capable of causing great damage to our natural environment. It is an invasive species.

The Brazilian peppertree is on the Texas Department of Agriculture’s list of noxious plants and on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s list of invasive, prohibited and exotic species, which means the plants are illegal to sell, plant, distribute or import into Texas.

That may be harsh treatment of a simple plant, but when a plant is introduced into a geographic area that is not its own native habitat, it may adversely affect the new environment. As an invasive species, Brazilian peppertree hits many markers: aggressive woody weed, displaces native vegetation, rapidly invades disturbed sites, high growth rate, wide environmental tolerance, prolific seed producer, high germination rate, produces shade tolerant seedlings and forms dense thickets.

Brazilian peppertrees are invasive in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, southern California and Hawaii as well as in the coastal habitats of Texas. The trees grow to 30 to 40 feet in height with a trunk diameter to three feet. They can live for 30 years. One tree can produce several thousand to tens of thousands of seeds per season. Their high seed germination rate is improved by scarification. Acids in the animals and bird’s digestive tract scarify the seeds, making them ready for germination wherever they fall.

Furthermore, the trees are allelopathic, they alter the soil to where it chemically inhibits other species to germinate and grow, like important native species valuable in our native habitat. They form dense thickets and shade out native grasses and shrubs.

In the fall, small white flowers bloom in clusters, producing pollen that may cause respiratory problems. Tight clusters of red berries drape green leafy stems and attract birds November to February.

To help save our native habitat, invasive species like Brazilian peppertrees should be eradicated. A tall order. Taking down mature trees is possible but can be an effort. It is recommended to cut a trunk as close to the ground as possible and immediately apply herbicide to the freshly cut stump. As a caution, Brazilian peppertrees are in the same family as poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. The plants contain chemicals that may cause skin and respiratory irritation in some individuals; the sap may cause skin irritation, rashes and swelling. Burning tree debris creates smoke with irritant oils that can cause severe breathing problems and eye irritation.

Plants can sprout anywhere, wherever animals roam and birds fly. Learn to recognize new growth that can be pulled by hand, roots and all, or cut at ground level, remaining stem painted with appropriate chemicals. Brazilian peppertree stems are red, leaves are oval, toothed and prominently veined. New leaf growth has a reddish tinge.

Anita Westervelt is a Texas Master Naturalist.